Community Safety Day Session
Keynote Speaker Bios

Kelly McCarthy
Chief of the Mendota Heights Police Department

Kelly McCarthy was appointed Chief of the Mendota Heights Police Department in 2017. Prior to her employment in Mendota heights, Kelly worked for the Lino Lakes Police Department, starting as a Community Service Officer in 1998 and ending as the deputy director of public safety and fire fighter.

Kelly has a master’s degree in leadership and education from the University of St. Thomas and is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School where she studied Applying Behavioral Insights to the Design of Public Policy and Leadership Decision Making. Kelly is a graduate of the 235th session of the FBI National Academy. Kelly was appointed Chair of the Peace Officer Standards and Training Board by Gov. Walz and served from 2019-2023. She is a certified emergency manager.

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Drew Evans
Superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA)

Drew Evans was named Superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) in 2015. Prior to this role, Evans worked for the BCA Investigations Division: Homicide Unit as a special agent and senior special agent where he conducted and oversaw violent crime investigations throughout Minnesota. Prior to being appointed as the superintendent, he served as the BCA Assistant Superintendent since 2012 and other investigative assignments prior to that role. Evans also served as a police officer for the city of White Bear Lake where he held a variety of roles, last as a detective, prior to joining the BCA. In 2023, Evans was appointed as the Governor’s Homeland Security Advisor for the state of Minnesota.

Evans is a graduate of Metropolitan State University and received his Juris Doctor from William Mitchell College of Law. He is an alumnus of the FBI National Academy, has completed the IACP Leadership in Police Organizations program, is a graduate of the BCA Management Series, and Harvard’s Young American Leaders Program.

Evans serves on a variety of boards and councils to include the Minnesota POST Board, the Violent Crime Coordinating Council, the U.S. Attorney’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Steering Committee, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) – Police Investigative Operations Committee, and North Central High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA). Evans is the current President of the Association for State Criminal Investigative Agencies (ASCIA) and serves on the Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative and Criminal Intelligence Coordinating Council.

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Bob Jacobson
Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety

Bob Jacobson was appointed the 15th commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety by Gov. Tim Walz in January 2023.
Prior to his appointment, Jacobson served as the interim deputy assistant commissioner in the Department of Human Services.
Previously, he served for more than 33 years in active law enforcement including 16 years as the director of public safety/chief of police for the City of New Brighton where he led their police, fire, and emergency management operations. He also served as interim police chief for the City of Stillwater during a leadership transition.

Jacobson also served as the interim inspector general for the Department of Human Services. He served as the professional development director for the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association, coordinating and implementing statewide and regional training and conferences for the Association.

Jacobson has a B.A. from Bethel University in Organizational Leadership and attended the Senior Management Institute for Police conducted by the Police Executive Research Forum.